---
title: "CVE-2013-6171\n    | Ubuntu"
description: Ubuntu is an open source software operating system that runs from the
  desktop, to the cloud, to all your internet connected things.
url: https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2013-6171?format=md
keywords: index, follow
---

# CVE-2013-6171

Publication date 9 December 2013

Last updated 24 July 2024

---

Ubuntu priority

**Low**

[Why this priority?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#priority )

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## Description

checkpassword-reply in Dovecot before 2.2.7 performs setuid operations to a
user who is authenticating, which allows local users to bypass
authentication and access virtual email accounts by attaching to the
process and using a restricted file descriptor to modify account
information in the response to the dovecot-auth server.

## Status

Show unmaintained releases

| Package | Ubuntu Release | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| dovecot | 17.10 artful | Not affected |
| 17.04 zesty | Not affected |
| 16.10 yakkety | Not affected |
| 16.04 LTS xenial | Not affected |
| 15.10 wily | Not affected |
| 15.04 vivid | Not affected |
| 14.10 utopic | Not affected |
| 14.04 LTS trusty | Not affected |
| 13.10 saucy | Ignored end of life |
| 13.04 raring | Ignored end of life |
| 12.10 quantal | Ignored end of life |
| 12.04 LTS precise | Ignored end of life |
| 10.04 LTS lucid | Ignored end of life |

---

* [How can I get the fixes?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#security)
* [What do statuses mean?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#statuses)
* [Patch details](https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2013-6171?format=md#patch-details)

### Patch details

For informational purposes only. We recommend not to cherry-pick updates. [How can I get the fixes?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#security)

| Package | Patch details |
| --- | --- |
| dovecot | * Upstream:   <http://hg.dovecot.org/dovecot-2.2/rev/a13098b642e9> |

## References

* [MITRE](https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2013-6171)
* [NVD](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-6171)
* [Launchpad](https://launchpad.net/bugs/cve/CVE-2013-6171)
* [Debian](https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2013-6171)

### Related Ubuntu Security Notices (USN)

+ [USN-3556-2](https://usn.ubuntu.com/USN-3556-2)
+ Dovecot vulnerabilities
+ 1 February 2018

### Other references

* <http://www.dovecot.org/list/dovecot-news/2013-November/000264.html>
* <http://wiki2.dovecot.org/AuthDatabase/CheckPassword#Security>
* <https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2013-6171>